The Dynamic Impact Of Growth Hormone On Wound Healing
The wonder substance known as human growth hormone (HGH) has been associated to many awesome benefits. These include both those recognized by the FDA and those not approved by the US government agency. Among these uses is the acceleration of wound or injury healing. You may be wondering how it helps, if at all it does, in this regard. We discuss here everything you need to know on the use of HGH for speeding up healing.
How can growth hormones help?
HGH is a very popular substance among professional bodybuilders and athletes. These groups of people are aware of the amazing benefits they can derive from its use. In addition to muscle building and performance enhancement, these users rely on the substance to promote quicker healing. It helps to deal with tiredness and facilitates timely recovery from exercise. Growth hormone is also said to enhance faster healing of fractured bones. It has been suggested for a variety of cases, including more complicated ones, such as severe burns and skin grafts. But how does the peptide goes about achieving this?
The ability of growth hormone to promote healing is just an adjunct of its role in facilitating growth and development. The substance performs its functions at cellular level. This way it is able to promote effective and speedy healing. It assists in repairing damaged cells and tissues. You also benefit from its ability to grow new cells to replace old, worn-out ones. This is how it helps to promote quicker healing. HGH bolsters ligaments, tendons and muscles.
Have you ever observed that younger people tend to heal faster than the older ones? This has a connection to the level of the substance in the body. Children and adolescents have the highest amounts of the hormone. This is because they need it for growth and development. Production peaks at puberty and starts to decline from then on. The reduction in hGH levels slows pace of injury healing while also bringing about other age-related changes.
HGH and bone fractures
It has been observed that growth hormone plays a role in the ability of your body to extract essential minerals for bone formation. It not only helps to make bones, but also to improve their mineral density. This way, you are better protected against bone fracture. This type of injury heals faster in children and other young people. But the story is different for the elderly.
Growth hormone targets cartilages in the aftermath of a fracture. The protein-based substance, which is not fat-soluble, passes through the sarcolema and activates processes needed for healing. It drives multiplication and division of chondrocytes. This is crucial to bone formation.
It is also well known that HGH boosts IGF-1 production. Through this effect, it boosts chondrocyte activity. It further facilitates the process of osteoblasts, which are single-nucleus cells that synthesize bone. The cells produce the substance that promotes bone development and mineral density.
HGH and tendonitis
Inflammation of tendons is a common issue among athletes and those who engage in activities involving repeated feet movements. The condition is known as tendonitis or tendinitis. Growth hormone is thought useful in dealing with this problem of the fibrous tissue linking muscles to the bones.
Tendonitis results when there is injury to the tendon. The condition is actually the inflammation of such an injured tendon. Your tendons can become inflamed from acute injury, falls or collisions, among others. HGH may help to reduce inflammation, which is just what tendonitis is. This, in turn, can cause injured tendons to recover faster. The hormone facilitates repair of damaged tissue while also promoting regeneration.
What research shows
As far back as the 1960’s, researchers have been interested in the possibility of using growth hormone to expedite wound healing. Evidence shows HGH boasts impressive potential for muscle and bone tissue health. This has made some to consider it useful for encouraging quicker healing of injuries, sprains and fractures. It is also suggested for promoting healing in people with severe burns or recovering from a surgery.
Researchers at the Department of Medicine of the University of California showed in a trial that HGH can speed up healing in older men. In a double blind, controlled experiment, they gave 28 healthy adult men having low IGF-1 levels HGH therapy for six months. The subjects showed improved collagen deposition from the treatment. This helped to accelerate the healing process.
Researchers headed by Robert Costa, biochemistry and molecular genetics professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, also found that growth hormone can activate a gene that speeds up healing. In the study that appeared in Hepatology in December 2003, comparison was made between old and young mice. The focus of the research was on a gene called the Foxm1b, which plays a vital role in cell multiplication, maturation, and death. The gene facilitates repair and regeneration of tissues in the body. It is most active in young mammals and its function declines with aging.
Costa’s team injected older mice, which add partially removed livers, with HGH. This led to remarkable improvement in the Foxm1b gene’s activity. The amounts of a variety of proteins and enzymes needed for cell division also increased. The livers of the aged mice regenerated very fast that they were fully restored in just a week. In contrast, old mice showed low activity and their liver cells couldn’t proliferate at a rate that can promote fast recovery.
Bak and associates showed in a 1991 study in the journal Bone that growth hormone may promote fracture healing in older persons. Some male rats, aged 2, were given biosynthetic HGH injections twice daily for 40 days during fracture healing. Those in the control group got saline injections. No significant differences in healing were noticed in the first 40 days. But the treatment resulted in significant improvement in ultimate load (73%), stiffness (63%), and stress (58%) of fractures by day 80, compared to the control group.
In a 1993 Danish study by Christensen and colleagues, it was shown that rats having colitis recovered better with HGH treatment. The treated rats had lower microscopic and macroscopic damage scores than the controls that got isotonic NaCI injections. They also had less neutrophil infiltration. These changes were attributed to higher serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) from HGH injections. The breaking strength and energy absorption of the rats that got the hormone were not altered, but those of the controls declined. Growth hormone also facilitated faster restoration of initial body weight.
Dosage for healing
Human growth hormone is measured in international units (IUs). The ideal amount to use depends on the benefit you hope to enjoy. There is no definite dosage for promoting quicker recovery from injuries. This can range from just 2 IUs to about 16 IUs.
Of course, the extent of injury will determine the appropriate amount. You may need, for example, between 8 and 16 IUs when interested in accelerating recovery from severe injuries or burns.
Do doctors prescribe it for wound healing?
The answer to this question is neither “Yes” nor “No.” Doctors differ in their willingness to prescribe growth hormone for expediting a healing process. Some will tell you outright not to even go near the substance. Despite being expensive, it is capable of causing a number of problems. So your doctor may be reluctant to prescribe it.
However, there are doctors who appear willing to treat their patients with growth hormone. A notable example is Dr. Allan Dunn, who helped former NFL running back Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar deal with a damaged knee. He disclosed he had used HGH to speed up rehabilitation of numerous other patients as well. A number of these people included professional athletes.
Essentially, it is left to your doctor to decide if he’s willing to give you the strictly regulated substance. You may be lucky if your state is a bit more lenient in its stance on use for off-label purposes. There will be need to review your medical history before any prescription can be given.
Safety consideration
We have to emphasize again that you have to be cautious of how you use synthetic growth hormone. This is a powerful substance. Misuse can lead to several unpleasant side effects. The risk is especially greater among athletes and bodybuilders. These individuals are known to take high doses of HGH.
Likely complications from improper usage include:
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Muscle weakness
- Bloating
- Unpleasant skin changes
- Joint pain
- Edema
- Diabetes
- Worsening of cancers
Due to its anabolic properties, growth hormone may cause your organs to grow out of proportion. It could give rise to an enlarged heart, a condition known as cardiomegaly. The use, or misuse, of the hormone may ultimately lead to fatality. So, we advise utmost caution.
Safer alternative to HGH injections
HGH supplements are considered safer, more affordable alternatives to synthetic injections. The level of efficacy of these products is lower than the real hormone. This is because they do not contain hormone. Instead, they offer mostly natural ingredients that promote secretion of hGH by the pituitary gland. Even health-conscious bodybuilders and athletes are said to use top offerings, such as Somatropinne, HGF Max and Dbol GH to promote recovery and performance.
Exercise is another great way to boost natural production of growth hormone for healing and other benefits. Consumption of foods that contain nutrients helpful to HGH secretion can also help. Liver detoxification can further help to enhance efficacy by improving the organ’s ability to secret IGF-1.
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